Bumpy Road To Vegas-Phoenix Interstate

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A plan to put an interstate between Las Vegas and Phoenix is gaining steam, but there’s still a bumpy road ahead.

Transportation officials in Nevada and Arizona are studying potential routes and hope to put a price tag on the planned stretch of Interstate 11 within the next few months. The road already has big-name support from business leaders and the Republican governors of both states.

But federal funding for highways is overstretched, and there’s been little progress toward upgrading the 20-year-old gas tax formula that feeds the account.

Project proponents say they’ll have to get creative to make the 300-mile stretch a reality.

The two cities are linked by a highway that’s two lanes in some places, and interstate proponents say its quality hampers the region’s economic growth.

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